Tales of Aridia

River

We had climbed down from the waterfall and returned to our usual path. Max was frantically checking me over. "I'm fine it just hurts!" I said, swiping his hand away. Jayden gulped and dragged Elliana ahead of us. "We need to find a cure," He said. I rolled my eyes, "and I'm sure we will. Just calm down will you?" I asked. Max looked offended, he walked ahead and caught up with Jayden. Jayden turned around and walked towards me. "Don't worry about him he's just worried," He said. I sighed, "I am too." My spirit was drained, I didn't want to do it any longer. The will to erase my memory of all of this was overwhelming. Max and Elliana suddenly stopped walking. "What's the matter?!" I shouted. Elliana turned around, "Come see," She said. 

Jayden ran forward leaving me behind. "It's a tree!" He called back.  The roots splayed out across the ground, it had been ripped from the floor. The tree stretched across the river near the rapids.  Beyond it on the other side the grass grew thinner and the trees separated. A small flicker of light beamed in the distance. "Do you see that?" I asked. Max and Jayden were entranced, "We do," They said in unison. 

"We can cross the river, over the tree," I said, edging closer. Jayden and Max looked about, worried. The rapids threw waves beneath the tree, but not high enough so that they came over.  I pulled Elliana close and gripped onto her hand. Stepping up onto the tree it took a while before I had balance. Elliana fumbled about, swaying back and fourth. Eventually we started to walk across the tree. I stepped forward, checking the tree was strong enough to stay up. Elliana took long strides to keep up with mine. The rapids were growing faster, crashing on the underside of the tree. I crouched down to hold my balance, digging my fingers into the bark. "You need to come back!" Max shouted, pointing to something in the distance.  Further up the river a wave grew tall and stretched far. The size almost doubled the others. I looked to Jayden for help but he shook his head in panic. We were too far forward to turn around, but too far away to run to the end.  "Elliana!" I shouted, grabbing her hands. "We are going to lie down on the tree, and hold hands. Do you understand?!" I yelled, trying to keep my voice above the sound of crashing waves.  "We are going to use our powers to create a shield," I said. Elliana nodded nervously lowering her stomach onto the tree. 

The wave swooped down, then climbed through the air above us. I concentrated, gripping hard onto Elliana. The wave soared downwards, and pounded against the shield. The water split in the air, spraying across the river. Elliana's coarse breath echoed in the shield, filling the air with warmth. The last of the wave dripped off the shield and so we stepped up slowly and continued walking. Below us the water crashed into rocks, which became sharpened by the waves.  Eventually We had reached the end, I helped Elliana jump off and she walked to safety.

Before I could jump a sudden pain shot through my arm. It vibrated through my body and struck me still. My feet shook uncontrollably before they became limp. I turned around slowly, facing Max and Jayden.  "Robyn?" Jayden frowned.  My eyes closed and my legs gave way. The voices became distant. I heard a quiet voice shout my name as I plunged into the river. My leg smashed into a rock as I was carried with the waves. My body became like a ragdoll as I was swung around loosely. My eyes were blurred and all I could hear was a low, droning sound. I was swung around a corner where the flow became more gentle. I wrapped myself around a stump that protruded through the waters surface. My body was kept afloat with the waves. The other side was too rapid to swim across, and the banks grew too high for me to climb. 

Max crouched down above me, grasping the grass to keep balance. "Robyn hold on!" He shouted.  Jayden was on the side with Elliana, trying to distract her. The wound embedded in my arm reopened and started to bleed again, dripping into the river. My grip was beginning to loosen.  Soon my arm flew off and I was hanging by one hand. Max waved his hands in the air, above his head. Another wave approached, I couldn't hold on for much longer. I flew backward, my back smashing into another rock. "No!" Max shouted, running closer along the bank of the river. He pushed his hands into the air and my body was suspended. I floated above waters surface, ascending into the sky. The air enclosed around me, wrapping my body with a cold chill. I floated through the air till I landed on the other side of the rivers bank. My feet gently dropped onto the grass, where I fell into Jayden's arms. 

My leg was bent around me, numb from the pain. I lifted up my trousers, revealing the bone that had snapped to another direction. "It's dislocated," Jayden said prodding the skin.  "I can fix it," He whispered. Jayden looked across the river, "Max!" He shouted. Max came bounding along, skidding onto the ground. "Pin her down," Jayden said. My eyes widened and I was suddenly filled with fear. Max pushed my shoulders down too the floor and kept me there. Jayden lifted up my leg gently, grasping it tight. "Turn around," He whispered to Elliana, who stood in awe. With one mighty push my leg snapped back into place, crunching as it moved.